Award Criteria

All nominees must:

• Be headquartered in the Chamber’s 11-county Greater Philadelphia region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia in PA; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Mercer and Salem in NJ; and New Castle, DE).
• Have not won an Excellence Award in the last five years.
• Excel in an individual category criteria outlined below.

CRITERIA FOR AWARD CATEGORIES INCLUDE:

In addition to criteria listed above, the Small Business Board will also be making decision based on specific criteria in each category.

Small Business Person of the Year

The Small Business Person of the Year is an individual that has shown exemplary leadership in the civic community and demonstrated a positive social or economic impact on the Greater Philadelphia region while running an independently owned and operated business.

Nominee must meet the following requirements:

• Their business is independently owned and operated
• Their business has between 1-100 employees
• They are the Founder, Owner, CEO or President of company
• They demonstrate positive social and/or economic impact on the region
• They exemplify civic community leadership

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

The Chamber’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year demonstrates a high level of entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, perseverance, creativity, and determination. Achieving business success at any age is a feat in itself. Achieving business success while under 40 is an outstanding triumph that should be recognized.

Nominee must meet the following requirements:

• They demonstrates a commitment to social responsibility
• They have achieved success at an early age; they are the Founder, Owner, CEO or President of a company(ies) 
• They are 40 years of age at time of nomination submission or younger
• They demonstrate a high level of entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, perseverance, creativity, and determination to be successful.
• They must provide three reasons as to why they will still be growing five years from now.

Customer Service Excellence of the Year

The Customer Service Excellence of the Year award acknowledges a company that takes pride in its commitment to its clientele. Winners have demonstrated positive customer feedback and an innovative program or initiative in customer service.

Nominee must meet the following requirements:

• Has between 1 – 1000 employees.
• Demonstrates a history of customer feedback supported by at least five testimonials.
• Has created an innovative program or initiative in customer service.

Family-Owned Business of the Year

The Family-Owned Business of the Year award acknowledges businesses, second-generation or older, where executive leadership has been passed down, and show prospects of thriving through the next generation.

Nominee must meet the following requirements:

• Has between 1 – 1000 employees
• Is a second-generation (or older) family-owned company where executive leadership has been passed from one generation to another
• Demonstrates excellence in its industry
• Can provide company’s story/history and highlight the impact of most-recent generation.
• Can provide three (3) reasons as to why company will still be thriving through next generation

ImpactPHL Company of the Year

The ImpactPHL Company of the Year award is presented to a regional for-profit company or organization actively creating a positive impact on the community, their workforce and the environment.

This award is presented to a regional company or organization actively creating a positive impact on the community, their workforce and the environment.

Nominee must meet the following requirements:

• Show a commitment to social responsibility and provide examples of what your organization has done in the past year to further its impact on the workforce, environment and/or community.
• Complete and submit the 20 minute online B Lab Quick Impact Assessment.

Our programs & event staff will contact you with the additional assessment link to complete your nomination process.

Manufacturer of the Year

The Manufacturer of the Year award honors those companies that are pioneering the manufacturing industry and putting emphasis on the training of their employees.

Nominee must meet the following requirements:

• Is independently owned and operated
• Has SIC code that begins with 2 or 3 or NAIC code with first two digits between 31-33
• Demonstrates innovative manufacturing concept
• Exhibits strength in the area of employee training
• Illustrates a robust quality control system
• Has between 1 - 1000 employees

Non-Profit Organization of the Year

The Non-Profit Organization of the Year award honors those businesses that go above and beyond to benefit the Philadelphia community.

Nominee must meet the following requirements:

• Is a 501(c)
• Demonstrates outstanding contributions to the community
• Can show benefits of service(s) and provide quantitative results
• Can demonstrate what sets the organization apart from those offering similar services
• Spend at least 80% of budget on program expenses
• Has between 1 - 100 employees

Professional Service Excellence of the Year

The Professional Service Excellence of the Year award distinguishes businesses that stand out in their industry with an innovative program or initiative.

Nominee must meet the following requirements:

• Is independently owned and operated
• Demonstrates excellence in their professional service industry
• Has created an innovative program or initiative for their industry or employees
• Can show benefits of the program or initiative through quantitative detail or by providing at least five (5) testimonials
• Has between 1 - 1000 employees

Strategic Growth Excellence of the Year

The Strategic Growth Excellence of the Year award acknowledges those companies that identified a strategic growth opportunity and acted on it.

Nominee must meet the following requirements:

• Is independently owned and operated
• Demonstrates substantial year over year revenue and employment growth
• Has between 1 - 1000 employees
• Can describe a strategic growth opportunity the company has identified in the past two years and describe how it has been implemented within the business
  • This growth opportunity should fall in one or more of the following categories: Management Culture, Talent Management, Innovation, Customer Focus, or Geographic Expansion.
• Can provide 3 reasons as to why the business will still be thriving in 5 years

Technological Excellence of the Year

The Technological Excellence of the Year honors companies that have had a great impact on their market with a with a visionary and transformative technology.

Nominee must meet the following requirements:

• Is independently owned and operated
• Has developed a visionary and transformative technology 
• Can provide quantitative detail of the technology's impact on the market
• Has between 1 - 100 employees
• Can provide a summary of how company will continue to develop their technology/application in the future